Cardinal O’Connell at St Patrick’s in Lowell

Thursday March 13, 2013 at 7:00 PM
Federal Building – Middlesex Community College, 50 Kearney Square, Lowell

The main speaker at this year’s forum on the history of the Irish in the Acre will be Brian Mitchell, the author of “The Paddy Camps: The Irish of Lowell, 1821–1861” and other books regarding Lowell and immigrant history. The following from the Irish Cultural Committee describes the evening’s activities:

Acre Forum
Lowell’s Irish Cultural Committee is proud to reintroduce the Acre Forum. Through anecdotes and historical facts, our speaker(s) will delve into the immigrant community that helped shape our great city. We are excited to announce that our highlighted speaker is celebrated urban and immigrant historian, as well as renowned higher education advocate and Lowell native, Dr. Brian C. Mitchell.

Dr. Mitchell is founder and director of the Edvance Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of American higher education through bold and sustainable solutions to the most pressing needs of students and educational institutions. Mitchell is also principal of Brian Mitchell & Associates, a consultancy that advises higher educational institutions and leaders.

From 2004 to 2010, Mitchell served as president of Bucknell University, where he developed the University’s first comprehensive strategic plan and modern campus master plan, hired nearly 60 tenure-track professors in three years, and launched the University’s current $500 million capital campaign. He previously served as president of Washington & Jefferson College (1998-2004) and the Association for Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania (1991-1998).

Dr. Mitchell serves as a director of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation and as immediate past chair of the Board of Trustees of Merrimack College. He is past chair of the Pennsylvania Selection Committee for the Rhodes Scholarships, the Patriot League, the National Association of Independent College and University State Executives, and the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania. He also has served on the boards of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and Geisinger Health System.

ANAM CARA Awards (immediately following the forum)
The term Anam Cara in Galic is translated as Soul Friend. It represents one who has bound themselves to another through an act of friendship and belonging. We recognize the contributions of those who have shared their time, treasures, and talents in preserving and promoting Lowell’s Irish Culture.